Carrie Prejean Boller, a conservative activist and former model, has been fired from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission following a contentious hearing on Monday in which she clashed with witnesses regarding the war in Gaza and defended antisemites.

The decision to remove Boller was announced by the Commission’s Chairman, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who stated on Wednesday that Boller had effectively derailed the proceedings.

“Carrie Prejean Boller has been removed from President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission,” Patrick said in a statement. “No member of the Commission has the right to hijack a hearing for their own personal and political agenda on any issue. This is clearly, without question, what happened Monday in our hearing on antisemitism in America.”

The dismissal follows a chaotic session at the Museum of the Bible, intended to address domestic religious discrimination. During the hearing, Boller repeatedly pivoted the questioning away from civil rights issues in the U.S. to focus on the conduct of the State of Israel.

Tensions peaked when Boller interrogated Shabbos Kestenbaum, a Jewish activist and Harvard graduate who had testified about the harassment of Jewish students on American university campuses. Disregarding the topic of domestic civil rights, Boller pressed Kestenbaum on foreign policy.

“Since we’ve mentioned Israel a total of 17 times, are you willing to condemn what Israel has done in Gaza?” Boller asked.

Kestenbaum rejected the premise, replying, “The only genocide ever carried out was on October 7, when Hamas tried killing every man, woman, and child they could possibly find.”

While speaking with Belaaz on Tuesday, Kestenbaum called for Boller’s removal.

Boller also used her time to defend antisemitic commentators Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson. When Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee, referred to the pair as “the two most famous antisemites,” Boller pushed back, asserting that Owens, who speaks often about Jews running the world and other classic antisemitic conspiracy theories is, “not an antisemite. She just doesn’t support Zionism.”

Following the hearing, Kestenbaum told Belaaz it was “unconscionable” for a commissioner to focus exclusively on foreign grievances rather than the protection of American citizens.

After news of Boller’s removal was publicized, Kestenbaum, in a statement to Belaaz, reiterated his position that his testimony was not related to the Middle East, and was focused on religious liberty of all Americans, adding “Any commissioner who does not believe in those values and instead chooses to focus on Middle East is welcomed to start their own commission.

Kestenbaum quipped: “And I wish the commissioner much luck as the next guest on Candace Owens’ podcast.”

Boller took to social media on Tuesday to claim she was being targeted for her religion rather than her conduct. Boller, who converted to Catholicism in April, wrote, “Can you even imagine this? A Religious Liberty Commission prepared to fire a commissioner for her Catholic faith? If that happens, it proves their mission was never religious liberty, but a Zionist agenda.”

However, Catholic leadership firmly rejected her framing. Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League, issued a scathing rebuke of Boller’s behavior and claims to representation.

“The Religious Liberty Commission should have nothing to do with those who are publicly undermining its mission, nor should it become a platform for those who want to exploit it as a vehicle to further their own agenda,” Donohue said. “Trump should kick Carrie Prejean Boller off immediately.”

Chairman Patrick confirmed that the Commission will continue its work without Boller, with two more hearings scheduled before they deliver a comprehensive report to the President in the spring.
“The President respects all faiths,” Patrick noted. “Fighting for the Word of God and religious freedom is what this nation was founded upon.”